Innocence Project New Orleans

Innocence Project New Orleans (IPNO) is a nonprofit legal organization that represents innocent and unjustly sentenced people serving life sentences in Louisiana and southern Mississippi.[1] It is the first organization in the Innocence Network to be established in the Deep South. Based in Mid City, New Orleans neighborhood of New Orleans, it is staffed by attorneys and non-legal staff and supported by volunteers and law clerks.

Work

Innocence Project New Orleans states that its mission is to "free innocent people sentenced to life in prison and those serving unjust sentences. We recognize the root causes of wrongful convictions and unjust sentences as systemic racism and inequities. We work to expose and address these root causes by sharing our clients’ stories in court, the legislature, the community and the media. We support our clients living well and fully in the world after their release."

Funding

Chief sources of funding for the Innocence Project New Orleans include the National Institute of Justice, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and The Louisiana Public Defender Board.[1][2] IPNO also holds a fundraiser gala annually in May and accept individual donations.[1][3]

Founding

In 1999, Emily Bolton was awarded an Equal Justice Fellowship and later a Soros Advocacy Fellowship to establish Innocence Project New Orleans. The two year fellowship was worth $72,000 and IPNO was officially recognized by the National Association of Public Interest Law (now Equal Justice Works) in 2001.

Emily Bolton

Born in England, Bolton graduated from Tulane University School Of Law and began studying wrongful convictions in the Greater New Orleans area. Under her leadership, IPNO grew from a staff of one to nine and had freed 27 innocent prisoners in a span of 4 years.

Common causes of wrongful convictions

How cases are chosen
  • The person claims they are factually innocent of the crime for which they are in prison.
  • The individual was convicted in Louisiana or southern Mississippi.
  • The individual is serving a life sentence.
  • The individual's direct appeal has been denied.
  • The individual can not afford an attorney.
  • The individual is not serving a sentence on another unrelated charge that will mean he or she will not be released if the conviction at issue is overturned.

House Bill 305

In 2011, Louisiana passed a house bill that provides the reduction of a defendant's sentence for substantial assistance in an investigation. IPNO was opposed to the bill but negotiated with lawmakers to help ensure when a snitch witness testifies they are protected by the court, and the content of their deal and the substance of their testimony is disclosed to the defense.

Notable Cases

Travis Hayes

17 year old Hayes was under the influence of marijuana at the time of his interrogation for the murder of grocery-store owner Tommy Vanhoose. He was questioned through the night by at least three different police officers without an attorney or even a parent present. After eight hours of interrogation, through which he and his co-assailant Ryan Matthews gave consistent accounts of their whereabouts that day, Hayes finally agreed to his interrogators' version of events. He placed himself at the scene of the crime, though he could not give the police any details whatsoever about the crime. DNA testing later linked an unrelated man to the killing, and both Travis and Matthews were exonerated.[4]

References
  1. "Innocence Project of New Orleans celebrates its 10th anniversary". NOLA.com. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  2. Postlethwaite & Netterville. "INNOCENCE PROJECT NEW ORLEANS FINANCIAL STATEMENTS DECEMBER 31, 2015". Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  3. "Innocence Project New Orleans honors five at 16th Anniversary Gala". NOLA.com. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  4. Bragg, Rick (April 22, 2003). "DNA Clears Louisiana Man On Death Row, Lawyer Says". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
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